In a nutshell, the Bowen Technique is a light touch remedial therapy tool with no contra- indications, so suitable for neonates to centenarians. It stimulates the body’s natural healing methodology, treating the body as a whole, not just a set of symptoms or , put another way, it treats the person not the diagnosis. Bowen teaches the body to heal itself as an ongoing process, not just a procedure on a treatment couch.

Now I would like to share with you how Bowen came into my life and its effects on me as a practitioner and its effect on my practice.

The Bowen Technique was developed by Tom Bowen from Australia , it is a relatively young therapy , the latter part of the 20th century onwards and it crept into my life in, probably , 1993. A friend of mine , then living in Australia, wrote to me extolling Bowen’s virtues — I ignored it, I was too busy! Then as often is the way, over the next few months, it seemed like everywhere I turned I was bombarded with BOWEN!! In one form or another. I had just completed a cranio-sacral course…………..I did not need another therapy…..did I ? Well yes, apparently I did ! You know what it’s like when you think you have your work/life plan mapped out then the universe comes along with its own route for you!?! So, no matter how much I resisted, Bowen seeds were sown in my consiousness.

When in 1994 the first U.K. and European Bowen bodywork training course fell into my hands – what else could I do? I stopped resisting and booked on it, in spite of the fact that this would be the first (and only) training I had undertaken with out being a recipient of it . I went into it with no prior knowedge or experience, I just felt strongly driven to do it, by then.
So, off I went back to London into the healing hands of Ossie and Elaine Rentsch, Bowen teachers and developers, after Tom Bowen himself , who sadly had died in 1982, having passed on his gift to only 6 people , including Ossie and our U.K. master teacher Julian Baker.

Now, I am going to stop my story for a while and hand you over to Julian Baker for an essential overview of Bowen, from this truly inspiring and effective teacher.

Hello, welcome back, I hope you enjoyed that official, informative foray.
You left me starting my intial bowen training where I thought this new bodywork system looked so simple…………..it is…………and I also found out that simple does not necessarily mean easy!!
During Julian’s first demonstation I observed, with my untrained eyes, what looked like little random tweaks, here and there all over the patient! WRONG!! In fact, these moves are precisely executed rolls, using appropriate pressure on exact spots, using your fingers in a specific sequence, performed with complete focus!!!!
Nothing else exists in that moment…………simply the perfect move!

Then it was explained that all we needed to do next was get out of the patients space, to leave them in peace, so go out of the treatment room for a minimum of 2 minutes, while the patients body/brain mechanism gets on with healing itself…….. Without you. Yes that is what I said ….without you – the therapist!! Different huh!! Oh yes and do not even think about the patient whiet you are out of the room ……..out of sight out of mind!!!
What was this lovey- dovey healing heresy!!! I remember Julian saying this concept would be particularly difficult for massage and/or healing therapists used to the touchy-feely, sendy-healy process. He was right, initially the thought of not sending love and light not being virtually continuously hands on and right there for the patient was scary………….. “how could I leave patients alone on and off throughout a treatment” “how disruptive” “how would patients react, they EXPECTED their moneys worth of therapy and therapist………didn’t they????”

So, I struggled to change my mindset and heartset; to let go of previous notions and let Bowen in! You see, I understood intellectually that Bowen encouraged a body to heal itself with minimum intervention and all I need do to facilitate this was confidently, sensitively be in the moment, just to start the process off, a bit like releasing a dam, the waters not blocked anymore so it can find its own perfect ion. I needed to trust the patients body/brain response to do all that was required of it…yep that’s all. I just needed my heart to feel and know this too!

I returned home from my intro course, my brain reeling from intense input, feeling shattered to find a desperate message , that evening, from one of my massage patients. She had injured her back and was in severe pain and it was her daughter’s wedding the next day and her chiropractor did not work after 5;00pm and she knew I had been off on a new course…………………………….could I help?

So, Bowen manual in hand, thank heavens for the 2 minute breaks to swot in, I gave Mary the Bowen treatment to the best of my beginners ability and sent her home with the all important aftercare advice sheet. The next day, the wedding day came and went, then the following day I received an ecstatic call from Mary to say that not only was she pain free she had also been able to dance the night away in her wedding high heels, with no ill effects…………..it felt like a miracle……………….to both of us!

M y heart felt it now, confidence in Bowen and my ability to execute it. I knew Tom Bowen had left a special legacy to the world, may be he had cracked the bodies healing code like he claimed. I realised that the bottom line with most patients is to have freedom from pain and Bowen can do that, in my now more extensive experience 80 – 85% of the time, which is not ,I know, a 100% miracle record but as near to anything I have ever come across so far, either when I am in the healing room or out of it!
The Bowen Technique and its relative Neurostructural Integration Technique, NST for short, which is another interpretation of Tom Bowens genius revolutionised my practice. I can achieve all a chiropractor or osteopath can do for skeletal problems, with no mechanical stress to a body and so much more!
I am extremely grateful to Tom Bowen and his pupils for creating and developing this technique which may still be in its infancy. Apparently Tom said he had only taught his successors 10% of the therapy’s capabilities and with pioneers like Julian Baker and NST developer Michael Nixon-Livy , https://www.nsthealth.com out there blazing a trail, the healing potential for us and Bowens future could be enormous.

Remember it is not what is behind us or in front of us that is most important, it is what is inside us. So you never know……… I, you or anyone could help to evolutionise Bowen in any moment. Now that is truly miraculous!
For further enquiries about Bowen, NST or any other treatments please do not hesitate to email me.